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Terrorism and Public Opinion: The Effects of Terrorist Attacks on the Popularity of the President of the United States ABSTRACT This article uses a large-n dataset to investigate the effect of terrorist attacks with American victims on the popularity of the U.S. president. The study uses two broad theoretical frameworks to analyze this effect, the score-keeping framework and the rally-effect framework. The findings of the study show that, when excluding the effect from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, actual terrorist attacks have no generalizable short-term impact on the popularity of the U.S. president. This indicates that even though the topics of national security, terrorism, and the president’s ability to handle these issues are important in the political debate in the United States, actual terrorism has little or no short-term impact on presidential approval ratings.

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Immigrants' Propensity to Self-Employment: Evidence from Canada Despite the appeal of the “enclave thesis” and the “blocked mobility thesis,” there are other relevant factors that help to explain why some immigrants engage in self-employment. Using the Longitudinal Immigration Data Base in Canada for 1980 to 1995, this study identifies characteristics of immigrants that yield a higher or lower propensity to self-employment. Descriptive statistics show that immigrants often use self-employment to supplement employment income and that the intensity and extensity of self-employment vary among immigrant entry cohorts, depending on gender, the year of immigration, and duration of stay in Canada. A logistic model predicting self-employment indicates that arrival in better economic years, longer residence in Canada, higher educational levels, older immigrants, and immigrants selected for human capital have higher odds of self-employment. These findings suggest that even though immigrants may be attracted or driven to self-employment, better-equipped immigrants are more inclined to engage in self-employment.

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Effects of maternal diabetes on early embryogenesis: I. The teratogenic potential of diabetic serum. Effects of maternal diabetes on initial stages of organogenesis was examined by culturing early somite stage mouse embryos in the presence of diabetic serum. Serum for the cultures was prepared from rats which had been made mildly or severely diabetic by the intraperitoneal administration of 50 mg/kg or 75 mg/kg streptozotocin, respectively. Effects of this diabetic serum were age-and dose-related, with a higher incidence of malformations occurring among younger (2–3 vs 4–6 somite) embryos and among embryos exposed to serum from severely diabetic animals. The most commonly occuring anomaly was inhibition of neural tube closure which involved cranial (exencephaly) regions only, and was accompanied by growth inhibition in embryos exposed to severely diabetic serum. Histologically, embryos cultured in diabetic serum exhibited a wave of cell necrosis which occurred during the first 4–8 h of culture and was primarily restricted to neuroepithelial and prospective neural crest cells. However, by 24 h the neurotic debris had disappeared, even in severely malformed embryos. These abnormalities are similar to central nervous system defects described for offspring from diabetic mothers. Furthermore, the severity of diabetes produced by streptozotocin treatment promoted glucose and insulin levels comparable to those observed in diabetic patients.

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Are You Threatening Me? Identity Threat, Resistance to Persuasion, and Boomerang Effects in Environmental Communication ABSTRACT In today’s increasingly polarized political environment, people are becoming resistant to persuasive messages, which creates challenges for those communicating about environmental issues to the public. Scholars have noted that opinion-challenging information could either be ineffective or lead to boomerang effects. As a result, research has started to examine the underlying mechanism of why messages are ineffective, with a specific emphasis on boomerang effects. We conducted three experiments to examine the role of environmental identity threat as a trigger of defense mechanisms and boomerang effects. In general, our study finds that identity threat from a message leads to increased psychological reactance, counter-arguing, and anxiety. There is also evidence that boomerang effects flow through identity threat and both counter-arguing and anxiety. Our results cast light upon designing persuasive messages to encourage individuals to engage in environmental behaviors without antagonizing them.

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Mortality among female employees of a chemical company. There have been few mortality studies conducted on working women despite their increasing presence in the work environment. This paper presents the findings of a cohort mortality study of 10,839 female employees with three or more days of service between 1940 and 1982 at the Midland or Bay City, Michigan, locations of the Dow Chemical Company. The cohort included substantial numbers of production and research personnel but was primarily comprised of clerical and office workers. Vital status was ascertained through 1982 for 89.4 percent of the cohort members, and death certificates were obtained for 94.0 percent of the 467 decedents. Comparisons of observed mortality with expected levels based on mortality rates for the U.S., Michigan, and a local 7-county area revealed consistently lower mortality in the cohort from the major causes of death, indicating a strong "healthy worker effect." Mortality from cancer of the cervix was significantly below expected levels, especially among women who were hired before 25 years of age. This observation, when combined with a nonsignificant excess of breast cancer, suggests a different distribution of maritally and sexually related risk factors between working and general populations of women. This and other findings are discussed relative to methodologic problems likely to accompany studies of working women.

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External quality assessment programs in the context of ISO 15189 accreditation Abstract Effective management of clinical laboratories participating in external quality assessment schemes (EQAS) is of fundamental importance in ensuring reliable analytical results. The International Standard ISO 15189:2012 requires participation in interlaboratory comparison [e.g. external quality assessment (EQA)] for all tests provided by an individual laboratory. If EQAS is not commercially available, alternative approaches should be identified, although clinical laboratories may find it challenging to choose the EQAS that comply with the international standards and approved guidelines. Great competence is therefore required, as well as knowledge of the characteristics and key elements affecting the reliability of an EQAS, and the analytical quality specifications stated in approved documents. Another skill of fundamental importance is the ability to identify an alternative approach when the available EQAS are inadequate or missing. Yet the choice of the right EQA program alone does not guarantee its effectiveness. In fact, the fundamental steps of analysis of the information provided in EQA reports and the ability to identify improvement actions to be undertaken call for the involvement of all laboratory staff playing a role in the specific activity. The aim of this paper was to describe the critical aspects that EQA providers and laboratory professionals should control in order to guarantee effective EQAS management and compliance with ISO 15189 accreditation requirements.

44116420

The Earth is Closing on Us This work is one of a suite of works-in-progress which fuse archival images of the Nakba with the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish, the great Palestinian poet who died last year. The Nakba of 1948, (‘catastrophe’ in Arabic), created three quarters of a million Palestinians refugees who fled to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The haunting, iconic photographic images of the Nakba evoke the suffering — imprinted forever are the forlorn lines of forsaken people disappearing over the horizon into the unknown, at the beginning of their long journey into dispossession and statelessness. Mahmoud Darwish himself shared that journey, having experienced ethnic cleansing, imprisonment, statelessness and exile. The UN defines a Palestine refugee as a person whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict which saw the creation of the state of Israel. There were massacres in some villages and panic; most were forced to leave, some with the false promises of return. Driven by fear, they fled with what they could carry and with the keys to their homes. Over 500 villages were destroyed. In 1967 this process was repeated on a smaller scale, making some Palestinians refugees twice. The Iraq war has yet again created a new group of Palestinian refugees. Faced with violence, forced to flee their homes because they had been supported by Saddam Hussein, they live

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in tents in Iraq at its border with Syria. Between sixty and seventy percent of the population of Gaza, the most densely populated place in the world, is comprised of internal refugees from cities and towns in the surrounding areas. The city of Nablus in the West Bank is host to Balata, the largest refugee camp in the West Bank. Every Palestinian city has its camps including Jerusalem. Ask a child, a third generation refugee in a camp in Lebanon or elsewhere where he or she is from and the response will be the name of a village or a city in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza, one that that they have never seen, one that no longer exists but is nevertheless home, where they belong, where they will return to. They will show you the keys.

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Messina: story of a town "expert" on earthquakes Via Risorgimento, a palimpsest of "anti-seismic" building systems The tragic earthquake of 1908 affects the area of the Strait already strongly proven in previous centuries and with its destructions, first, and reconstructions, after, makes the city of Messina a field of verification of previous construction solutions and experimentation of "innovative" technical, new methods of calculation and ad hoc regulations. Through archival documents, technical reports, publications of the time, standards issued for reconstruction, the article analyses the pre and post earthquake situation of 1908, with particular attention to the composition of lands, sub-layers, foundations and of the structures in elevation. In particular, it lingers on the Via Risorgimento area, which has a rich palimpsest of techniques and shrewdness of that period.

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Wind energy conversion system simulator using variable speed induction motor The conventional synchronous generator in wind energy conversion system are now getting replaced by variable speed induction generator to extract maximum power with wide range of wind speed limit. The design and performance of such system are required a simplified digital simulator, especially for development of optimal control solutions. The proposed work is to make a prototype of an variable speed wind conversion system simulator, to get a required operational condition under variable wind speed. In this paper variable speed induction motor drive using scalar control is interfaced in wind energy conversion system as an alternative to make the real time wind simulator for wind energy researchers. The basic power curve from wind generator is carried out through d-SPACE and interface of induction motor through an inverter control system. The induction motor is operated in wide speed range using Volt /Hertz speed control scheme. The laboratory prototype consists of 3 kW, 415 Volt, 50Hz induction motor controlled by voltage source inverter for various wind speed. The basic control strategy is implemented through hardware system. The result verifies that the wind turbine simulator can reproduce the steady state characteristics of a given wind turbine at various wind condition.

37101270

Graded conductivity electrodes as a means to improve plasma uniformity in dual frequency capacitively coupled plasma sources Dual frequency, capacitively coupled plasma (DF-CCP) tools are now being used for etching of 30 cm diameter wafers during microelectronics fabrication. These tools typically use a high frequency (HF, tens to hundreds of megahertz) to sustain the plasma and a low frequency (LF, a few to 10 MHz) for ion acceleration into the wafer. With an increase in both the HF and the wafer size, electromagnetic (EM) wave effects can significantly affect power deposition and the distribution of the plasma due to constructive interference at the centre of the wafer. Here we report on a computational demonstration of using graded conductivity electrodes (GCEs) to improve the plasma uniformity in a DF-CCP reactor. GCEs consist of a metal electrode covered by a dielectric which is in direct contact with the plasma. The conductivity of the dielectric decreases from edge to centre. So as the HF wave propagates inwards from the edge of the electrode, the penetration of the HF field into the dielectric increases. This increasing penetration counteracts the increase in the electric field resulting from the constructive interference of the EM wave at the centre of the reactor, and hence improves the uniformity of the resulting plasma.

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Effect of film thickness and electrode material on space charge formation and conductivity in polyimide films Polyimides (PI) are well-known materials used as passivation and insulating layers in microelectronics or power electronics. Though the electric field and temperature withstanding of polyimides have been investigated for long, little information is available on the space charge behavior in relatively thin polyimide films. In this work, the space charge behavior was investigated with the Laser Intensity Modulation Method (LIMM) which is suited for films of several µm in thickness. It is complemented by DC conductivity measurements. The analysis is made on 12 and 18 µm thick PI-layers deposited on Si-substrates with using Al or Au top electrodes. A build-up of negative charges can be observed, irrespective of the polarity of the applied voltage, as the external field is increasing in the range 25–125 kV/mm. With decreasing film thickness, the DC conductivity increases and a diminution of the internal electric field distortion occurs. The native alumina formed between the aluminium electrode and the PI could act as a barrier to electrons injection from the top electrode.

201069670

On winning the “lottery”: psychological preparation for football penalty shoot-outs Abstract The outcome of penalty shoot-outs is often referred to as a “lottery”, suggesting that luck, rather than the skill level of the player, predetermines outcome success. Throughout this article, we hope to show why such attitudes towards physical and psychological preparation can increase anxiety, diminish perceptions of control and negatively affect the behaviour and subsequent performance of penalty takers. From the synthesis of this evidence, we provide task-specific recommendations that are structured around the dynamic nature of emotions that players are likely to experience during each phase of the shoot-out and which can be implemented or adapted to suit the individual needs of the player. These recommendations are designed to provide a framework to help applied professionals to optimise the psychological preparation for this scenario with the overall aim of helping players to (re)gain control of this situation.

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Paper MEAN DOSE TO LYMPHOCYTES DURING RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENTS -Using a probabilistic model with parameters from four radiotherapy protocols used in Mexican hospitals for the treatment of cervical cancer, we have calculated the distribution of dose to cells in peripheral blood of patients. Values of the mean dose to the lymphocytes during and after a 6oCo treatment are compared to estimates from an in vivo chromosome aberration study performed on five patients. Calculations indicate that the mean dose to the circulating blood is about 2% of the tumor dose, while the mean dose to recirculating lymphocytes may reach up to 7?6 of the tumor dose. Differences up to a factor of two in the dose to the blood are predicted for different protocols delivering equal tumor doses. The data suggest mean doses h i e r than the predictions of the model. Health Phys. 67(4):326-329; 1994

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Pansharpening with a Gradient Domain GIF Based on NSST In order to improve the fusion quality of multispectral (MS) and panchromatic (PAN) images, a pansharpening method with a gradient domain guided image filter (GIF) that is based on non-subsampled shearlet transform (NSST) is proposed. First, multi-scale decomposition of MS and PAN images is performed by NSST. Second, different fusion rules are designed for high- and low-frequency coefficients. A fusion rule that is based on morphological filter-based intensity modulation (MFIM) technology is proposed for the low-frequency coefficients, and the edge refinement is carried out based on a gradient domain GIF to obtain the fused low-frequency coefficients. For the high-frequency coefficients, a fusion rule based on an improved pulse coupled neural network (PCNN) is adopted. The gradient domain GIF optimizes the firing map of the PCNN model, and then the fusion decision map is calculated to guide the fusion of the high-frequency coefficients. Finally, the fused high- and low-frequency coefficients are reconstructed with inverse NSST to obtain the fusion image. The proposed method was tested using the WorldView-2 and QuickBird data sets; the subjective visual effects and objective evaluation demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to the state-of-the-art pansharpening methods, and it can efficiently improve the spatial quality and spectral maintenance.

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Evaluation of the peripheral nervous system in disability management: practical aspects in lower back pain. Lower back pain (LBP) is a common condition with profound economic and social consequences. A conservative, symptomatic, goal-oriented management program is advocated by most, emphasizing pain relief and restoration of functional capacity. Still, LBP is recurrent in approximately 50% of patients and up to 5-10% experience chronic intractable pain. This article describes how to evaluate and rehabilitate the patient with spinal impairment (SI). All is summarized in a diagnostic/treatment algorithm as used in the spine rehabilitation center. Causes of LBP, components of the patient history and physical, diagnostic test usage and management options are summarized in tables for future reference. Lastly, preventative measures are discussed which, when implemented within a treatment program, may prevent future reoccurrences.

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Evanescent field enhancement due to plasmonic resonances of a metamaterial slab The characteristics of plasmonic resonance in a dielectric‐sandwiched metamaterial film at visible wavelengths of 650 and 568 nm have been investigated (for both p‐ and s‐polarized light). Our calculated results demonstrate that each mode of plasmonic resonance has maximum resonance strength at a particular film thickness of the metamaterial. We also demonstrated that the effect of evanescent field enhancement is due to plasmonic resonances of the sandwiched metamaterial system. And the stronger the plasmonic resonance strength the larger the evanescent field is enhanced at the interfaces of the metamaterial film. Also we see that the plasmonic resonances in a sandwiched metamaterial are influenced not only by the materials that constitute the interfaces but also by the thickness of surrounding dielectrics or distance between evanescent light source and metamaterial film. Finally, our results show that there might be an effective light propagation length that will let the coupling efficiency between evanescent light source and SPs resonance become a maximum. These properties of plasmonic resonances to structure parameters of metamaterial film and its surrounding dielectrics provide a useful way to control the optical responses of an optoelectronic device when the wavelength of light source is fixed. That is, by suitably choosing light polarizations, thickness of the metamaterial thin film or the surrounding dielectrics and the position of evanescent light source, it is possible to modulate the plasmonic resonance wavenumber or resonance strength of the system. Therefore, the optical responses of the system can be modulated. Our results

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will be helpful for the structure design to control the behaviours of coupled plasmonic resonances and consequently the optical properties of the dielectric‐sandwiched metamaterial film.

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Animal Models of Hepatitis C Virus Infection. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important and underreported infectious disease, causing chronic infection in ∼71 million people worldwide. The limited host range of HCV, which robustly infects only humans and chimpanzees, has made studying this virus in vivo challenging and hampered the development of a desperately needed vaccine. The restrictions and ethical concerns surrounding biomedical research in chimpanzees has made the search for an animal model all the more important. In this review, we discuss different approaches that are being pursued toward creating small animal models for HCV infection. Although efforts to use a nonhuman primate species besides chimpanzees have proven challenging, important advances have been achieved in a variety of humanized mouse models. However, such models still fall short of the overarching goal to have an immunocompetent, inheritably susceptible in vivo platform in which the immunopathology of HCV could be studied and putative vaccines development. Alternatives to overcome this include virus adaptation, such as murine-tropic HCV strains, or the use of related hepaciviruses, of which many have been recently identified. Of the latter, the rodent/rat hepacivirus from Rattus norvegicus species-1 (RHV-rn1) holds promise as a surrogate virus in fully immunocompetent rats that can inform our understanding of the interaction between the immune response and viral outcomes (i.e., clearance vs. persistence). However, further characterization of these animal models is necessary before their use for gaining new insights into the immunopathogenesis of HCV and for conceptualizing HCV vaccines.

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Study on the characteristics of microclimate for a sugar apple orchard at reclaimed land of Taitung area. This study was performed to observe the characteristics of microclimate for a sugar apple orchard at a reclaimed land of Taitung area. The selected sugar apple orchard (22°44’36” N, 121°4’56” E) had a size of 1.8 ha and was located at suburb of Taitung City, Taitung Hsien, Taiwan, within a gradual topography. The factors of micrometeorological observations included air temperature, relative humidity, earth temperature, wind direction, wind speed, net radiation and soil heat flux, and were measured using a tower of 4 m in height from March 1, 2007 to February 12, 2008. The preliminary results are summarized as follows. Air temperature and relative humidity were usually greater than 20°C and 68%, but there was a decreasing tendency under cold wave with no rain. The daily mean wind speed was less than 4.6 m s-1 and the prevailing wind direction was in the directions of NE-SW. The topsoil layer of sugar apple orchard could absorb heat flux when net radiation was grater than 0.2 MJ m-2. Irrigation could increase soil moisture and resulted in an increase of earth temperature to more than 15°C, and the mitigation of cold damage for sugar apple orchard could be achieved under such condition.

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Regulation of Caspase-3 and -9 Activation in Oxidant Stress to Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells by Forkhead Transcription Factors, Bcl-2 Proteins and Mitogen- Activated Protein Kinases Cytotoxicity to renal tubular epithelial cells (RTE) is dependent on the relative response of cell survival and cell death signals triggered by the injury. Forkhead transcription factors, Bcl-2 family member Bad, and mitogen-activated protein kinases are regulated by phosphorylation that plays crucial roles in determining cell fate. We examined the role of phosphorylation of these proteins in regulation of H 2 O 2-induced caspase activation in RTE. The phosphorylation of FKHR, FKHRL, and Bcl-2 family member Bad were markedly increased in response to oxidant injury, and this increase was associated with elevated levels of basal phosphorylation of Akt/protein kinase B. PI-3 kinase inhibitors abolished this phosphorylation and also decreased expression of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and BclxL. Inhibition of phosphorylation of forkhead proteins resulted in a marked increase in proapoptotic protein Bim. These downstream effects of PI-3 kinase inhibition promoted the oxidant-induced activation of caspase-3 and-9, but not caspase-8 and-1. The impact of enhanced activation of caspases by PI-3 kinase inhibition was reflected on accelerated oxidant-induced cell death. Oxidant stress also induced marked phosphorylation of ERK ½, P38, and JNK kinases. Inhibition of ERK ½ phosphorylation but not P38 and JNK kinase increased caspase-3 and-9 activation; however, this activation was far less than induced by inhibition of Akt phosphorylation. Thus, Akt-mediated phosphorylation pathway, ERK signaling and the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins distinctly regulate caspase activation during oxidant injury to RTE. These studies suggest

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that enhancing renal-specific survival signals may lead to preservation of renal function during oxidant injury.

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Effects of smoke inhalation on surfactant phospholipids and phospholipase A2 activity in the mouse lung. The effects of smoke inhalation on the pulmonary surfactant system were examined in mice exposed for 30 minutes to smoke generated from the burning of polyurethane foam. At 8 or 12 hours after exposure, surfactants were isolated separately from lung lavage (extracellular surfactant) and residual lung tissue (intracellular surfactant) for phospholipid analysis. Calcium-dependent phospholipase A2 (PLA2) was measured on a microsomal fraction prepared from the tissue homogenate. Smoke inhalation produced a twofold increase in extracellular surfactant total phospholipid. While there was no change in the total phospholipid or phosphatidylcholine (PC) content of the intracellular surfactant, smoke inhalation significantly decreased the disaturated species of PC (DSPC). The specific activity of PLA2 was reduced by more than 50% in both groups of exposed mice. Smoke inhalation appears to result in selective depletion of the DSPC of intracellular surfactant and PLA2 involved in its synthesis. This depletion may be compensated for by increased secretion or slower breakdown of the material present in the extracellular compartment.

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The viability of mid-level practitioners in isolated rural communities. In the last decade there has been an increasing emphasis on providing equal access to health care for all citizens of the United States.1 2 Rural dwellers have been identified as a population group who experience significant barriers to gaining access to the traditional health care delivery system. The problem becomes more acute for the target population that is more remote from larger communities. One potential solution in which significant investment has been made is the training and use of nonphysician health providers for the delivery of primary health care services. This study examines the attempt of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho) and Alaska to use non-physician health providers (physician assistants and nurse practitioners) to solve the health care needs of the geographically isolated community. It focuses on an analysis of the financial growth and evolution of this type of practice through which hopefully one can draw some preliminary conclusions about the economic viability of the model.

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The Duty to Rescue in Contract Law Chapter 9 concerns contexts in which two parties, A and B, have either entered into a contract or taken significant steps to form a contractual relationship, and B is at risk of incurring an unbargained-for loss that A could prevent by taking an action that would not require her to forgo a bargaining advantage, undertake a significant risk, or incur some other material cost. In the contexts described in this chapter A is under a moral and legal duty to take action—a duty referred to in this book as the duty to rescue in contract law. Among the contexts in which the duty is imposed are silence as acceptance, late acceptance, and performance.

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The Problem of Die Drool in the Extrusion of Recycled Polyethylene Present understanding of the formation of die drool is reported in light of current developments in materials for blown film polyethylene (PE). Two series of samples were collected from a blown film line, and the material from the die drool and the die channel, or blown film, were analysed separately. The techniques used included thermal analysis, melt rheology, filtration of dissolved material, and X-ray diffraction. Die drool was found to consist of segregated material, with the segregation depending on the content of high-molecular-weight branched polyethylene or impurities. As the presence of these PE materials may increase, it might be advisable for processors of recycled PE film to take prior actions to limit problems.

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Estimation of Piezoelectric Equivalent Circuit Parameters Using Principle of Least Variance The estimates of equivalent circuit parameters of a piezoelectric transducer, observed from the admittance circle near resonance in a conventional manner, are improved on two types of lumped-parameter circuits, namely, L- and T-type circuits, which are consistent with Marutake's approximation formula for estimating electromechanical coupling coefficient, using the principle of least variance with regard to the physical quantities observed in more than one resonance mode. First, the electrically observed frequencies of resonance and antiresonance are corrected using the T- and L-type circuits, respectively. Secondly, whether the transducer is actually driven in the L- or T-effect is distinguished using the principle of least variance introduced in this study. Next, the inductance components of the circuit are re-estimated using this principle again, and finally other circuit components are also adjusted in a self-consistent manner.

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Stabilization of Double Stranded Homologous Poly(dA)·Poly(dT) by Taxol Abstract The nucleic acid activity of taxol and paclitaxel was investigated with synthetic and natural oligo- and polynucleotides. The polynucleotides poly(dA)·poly(dT), poly(dG)·poly(dC), poly [d(A-T)]·poly[d(A-T)], poly[d(G-C)]·poly[d(G-C)] and calf thymus DNA were used. The oligonucleotides are 24-mers with d(purine)24·d(pyrimidine)24 strands, as well as d[(purine)x-(pyrimidine)x]·d[(purine)x-(pyrimidine)x] sequences. The study was performed with spectroscopic and calorimetric methods in dilute and condensed DNA-solutions. In a recent study, taxol and paclitaxel showed molecular recognition of AT nucleotides with a high affinity to homologous (dA)·(dT) sequences; no interaction with GC nucleotides could be observed. An astonishing stabilization of the DNA duplex up to ΔTm = 25°C was measured by thermal denaturation with poly(dA)·poly(dT)/paclitaxel complexes. Circular dichroism signals of DNA (24-mer) containing homologous (dA)·(dT) tracts increased with increasing amount of the drug; for the other oligo- and polynucleotides no change in the spectra could be found. Contrary to this findings, circular dichroism (CD) spectra of poly(dA)·poly(dT)/paclitaxel complexes displayed reduced intensities of the signals at increasing drug concentrations. These findings in dilute solutions were complemented by differential scanning calorimetric investigations in condensed states (only calf thymus DNA tested). Increasing enthalpies by increasing amount of the drug point to a stabilization. Simple phosphate backbone interaction in the narrow groove of (dA)·(dT) tracts could be a sufficient explanation for all the results. Hydrophilic side groups of the drug interact with the phosphate and clip the strands together, while the hydrophobic parts of the molecule may disturb the polynucleobase formation.

21985820

The cardiovascular and metabolic effects of bench stepping exercise in females. The purpose of this investigation was to measure cardiovascular and metabolic responses to 20 min continuous bouts of "choreographed" bench stepping exercise in healthy females. Four frequently used bench heights were employed in a cross-over design: 15.2 cm (6 inches, B-6), 20.3 cm (8 inches, B-8), 25.4 cm (10 inches, B-10), and 30.5 cm (12 inches, B-12). Oxygen uptake (VO2) responses were significantly more pronounced in direct relationship to the bench height: B-12 greater than B-10 greater than B-8 greater than B-6 (P less than 0.05). Mean responses for VO2 ranged from 28.4 ml.kg-1.min-1 for B-6 to 37.3 ml.kg-1.min-1 for B-12. Interestingly, no difference was revealed for heart rate and the respiratory exchange ratio between B-12 and B-10 despite a higher VO2 for B-12 (B-12, B-10 greater than B-8 greater than B-6, P less than 0.05). The incorporation of 0.91 kg (2 lb) hand weights with exercise on the 20.3 cm bench elicited a modest but statistically significant increase in VO2 compared with no hand weights. No significant increase in VO2 was revealed for conditions that employed 0.45 kg (1 lb) hand weights. The results demonstrate that aerobic bench stepping is an exercise modality that provides sufficient cardiorespiratory demand for enhancing aerobic fitness and promoting weight loss in females.

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ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL HYDRAULIC PARAMETERS BY ENKF DATA ASSIMILATION IN REAL AQUIFERS : A CASE STUDY IN DOWNTOWN PADOVA ( ITALY ) The calibration of natural aquifer model parameters in real world cases is a challenging goal that requires a careful tuning work, whose complexity increases with the number of available data. Paradoxically, instead of making easier the subsurface model numerical assessment, a high spatial density of data highlights the local scale heterogeneity effects, complicating the calibration procedure when an accurate reproduction of the local water table variations is requested. This is the case of the subsurface in the “Eremitani” area in downtown Padova (Italy), where an extensive monitoring was recently carried out to assess the water table alteration due to the possible realization of important underground works close to the “Scrovegni Chapel”, a renowned historical monument. Due to the implications for the foundation stability of the monumental building, the delicate structural equilibrium of the famous Giotto’s frescoes may be altered by the variations of the water table. For this reason, a relatively large number of piezometers and wells (16) were drilled in an area of approximately 8 ha, within two aquifers characterizing the subsurface medium down to a depth of 30 m. Measurements were collected for a relatively long period and some pumping tests, as well as a field experiment involving the controlled variation of the Piovego Canal – the watercourse crossing the study area –, were realized for monitoring the corresponding response of the water table in each observation well. To overcome the difficulties

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related to the calibration of a fully 3D finite element model solving the Richards’ equation, a data assimilation procedure was developed by integrating the groundwater model with the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the augmented state technique. The objective of this study is to retrieve the most relevant subsurface parameters (e.g., hydraulic conductivity and specific storage coefficient) by assimilating the piezometric data collected by the monitoring network, thus assessing the local scale heterogeneity due not only to the vertical stratification, but also to the horizontal spatial variability characterizing the area under investigation.

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Video topic modelling with behavioural segmentation Topic models such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) are used extensively for modelling multi-object behaviour and anomaly detection in busy scenes. However, existing topic models suffer from the sensitivity problem, where they are unable to detect anomalies that are mixed in with large numbers of co-occurring normal behaviours. Also at issue is the localisation problem, where anomalies are detected but not localised within a given video clip. To address these two problems this paper proposes a novel region LDA model, which encodes the spatial awareness that is ignored by conventional topic models. Both scene decomposition and behavioural modelling are simultaneously performed. Consequentially, abnormality is detected per-region rather than for the entire scene, resolving both the sensitivity and localisation issues. Experiments conducted on busy real world scenes demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model.

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Countering Walter Block's "Heroic" Private Counterfeiter IN HIS PROVOCATIVE BOOK, Defending the Undefendable, Walter Block (1976) presents a cast of seemingly nefarious characters, such as the slumlord, the prostitute, and the moneylender, whose actions, he shows, are harmless and even beneficial when looked at from a free-market and natural law perspective. There is, however, one case where his defense is more than a little controversial: that of the private counterfeiter. According to Block, an individual counterfeiter who creates his own notes commits no real crime because money issued by the government is itself counterfeit, and counterfeiting counterfeit money is analogous to seizing stolen goods from thieves. Block points out that under the natural law, if B steals property from A, and C takes the stolen property away from B, C is not guilty of theft if the property in question cannot be returned to A; for example, if A no longer exists or cannot be found. Block contends that a similar proposition can be applied to counterfeiting, where B are the government and banking institutions, who throughout history have fraudulently misrepresented their notes as being equivalent to genuine money such as gold and silver, A are the past depositors of these precious metals who were the original victims of B’s counterfeiting fraud prior to the establishment of a universal fiat currency,

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(10) Azoospermia, absent dermatoglyphics, mottled hypo‐ and hyperpigmentation and chronic iron deficiency: an unknown genodermatosis? colouring, cadmium for yellow, magnesium for purple. cobalt for blue and chrome for green. Although reactions to red mercuric sulphide or red cinnabar are well described, allergic reactions to green tattoo pigments are rare. Patients with cement dermatitis developing green tattoo reactions have previously been reported.' Like our case these patients had trouble with their tattoos only after developing hand eczema from contact w ith cement.

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Deep learning in the small sample size setting: cascaded feed forward neural networks for medical image segmentation Deep Learning, refers to large set of neural network based algorithms, have emerged as promising machine- learning tools in the general imaging and computer vision domains. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs), a specific class of deep learning algorithms, have been extremely effective in object recognition and localization in natural images. A characteristic feature of CNNs, is the use of a locally connected multi layer topology that is inspired by the animal visual cortex (the most powerful vision system in existence). While CNNs, perform admirably in object identification and localization tasks, typically require training on extremely large datasets. Unfortunately, in medical image analysis, large datasets are either unavailable or are extremely expensive to obtain. Further, the primary tasks in medical imaging are organ identification and segmentation from 3D scans, which are different from the standard computer vision tasks of object recognition. Thus, in order to translate the advantages of deep learning to medical image analysis, there is a need to develop deep network topologies and training methodologies, that are geared towards medical imaging related tasks and can work in a setting where dataset sizes are relatively small. In this paper, we present a technique for stacked supervised training of deep feed forward neural networks for segmenting organs from medical scans. Each `neural network layer' in the stack is trained to identify a sub region of the original image, that contains the organ of interest. By layering several such stacks together a

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very deep neural network is constructed. Such a network can be used to identify extremely small regions of interest in extremely large images, inspite of a lack of clear contrast in the signal or easily identifiable shape characteristics. What is even more intriguing is that the network stack achieves accurate segmentation even when it is trained on a single image with manually labelled ground truth. We validate this approach,using a publicly available head and neck CT dataset. We also show that a deep neural network of similar depth, if trained directly using backpropagation, cannot acheive the tasks achieved using our layer wise training paradigm.

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Arbitrary Structures Fabricated by Focused Ion Beam Milling Optical components at the nanoscale are crucial for developing photonics and integrated optics. Device with ultrasmall dimensions is of particular importance for nanoscience and electronic technology. Among all the manufacturing tools, the focused ion beam is a critical candidate for machining and processing optical devices at the nanoscale. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the fabrication of nanodevices with arbitrary shapes and different potential applications using focused ion beam techniques.

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Characterization of Atherosclerosis by Histochemical and Immunohistochemical Methods in African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) and Amazon Parrots (Amazona spp.) Abstract The aim of the study was to characterize atherosclerotic changes in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) and Amazon parrots (Amazona spp.) by histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. Samples of the aorta ascendens and trunci brachiocephalici from 62 African grey parrots and 35 Amazon parrots were stained by hematoxylin and eosin and Elastica van Gieson for grading of atherosclerosis in these birds. Four different stages were differentiated. The incidence of atherosclerosis in the examined parrots was 91.9% in African grey parrots and 91.4% in Amazon parrots. To evaluate the pathogenesis in birds, immunohistochemical methods were performed to demonstrate lymphocytes, macrophages, smooth muscle cells, and chondroitin sulfate. According to the missing lymphocytes and macrophages and the absence of invasion and proliferation of smooth muscle cells in each atherosclerotic stage, “response-to-injury hypothesis” seems inapplicable in parrots. Additionally, we found alterations of vitally important organs (heart, lungs) significantly correlated with atherosclerosis of the aorta ascendens.

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Detection of low-metallicity warm plasma in a galaxy overdensity environment at z ̃ 0.2 We present results from the analysis of a multiphase O VI - broad Ly-alpha absorber at z = 0.19236 in the HST/COS spectrum of PG 1121+422. The low and intermediate ionization metal lines in this absorber have a single narrow component, whereas the Ly-alpha has a possible broad component with b(HI) $\sim 71$ km/s. Ionization models favor the low and intermediate ions coming from a $T \sim 8,500$ K, moderately dense photoionized gas with near solar metallicities. The weak O VI requires a separate gas phase that is collisionally ionized. The O VI coupled with BLA suggests $T \sim 3.2 \times 10^5$ K, with significantly lower metal abundance and $\sim 1.8$ orders of magnitude higher total hydrogen column density compared to the photoionized phase. SDSS shows 12 luminous ($> L^*$) galaxies in the $\rho \leq 5$ Mpc, $|\Delta v| \leq 800$ km/s region surrounding the absorber, with the absorber outside the virial bounds of the nearest galaxy. The warm phase of this absorber is consistent with being transition temperature plasma either at the interface regions between the hot intragroup gas and cooler photoionized clouds within the group, or associated with high velocity gas in the halo of a $\lesssim L^*$ galaxy. The absorber highlights the advantage of O VI-BLA absorbers as ionization model independent probes of warm baryon reserves.

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E-learning support for students to generate questions originated from descriptions in course materials In any e-learning system, students are required to study some course materials normally prepared in the form of textbooks. However it is not an easy task for many students to understand these textbooks. When some doubts and/or questions arise as to descriptions within textbooks, they usually tend to solve this difficulty by themselves or with their friends. This paper gives a prototype of a feedback support system in an e-learning where students are encouraged to feedback questions to lecturers by sending selected portions of descriptions in the textbook showing where and why they are in a trouble in understanding the textbook materials.

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Caries in Five-year-old Children and Associations with Family-related Factors It is generally understood that the teeth of pre-school-aged children are healthy, but the improvement in the dmft index has halted in the industrialized countries. Those few children who have caries have more of it than before. Little is known of the family-related factors which are associated with this polarization of caries. A representative population-based sample consisted of 1443 mothers expecting their first child. The children were followed at well-baby clinics and public dental health clinics for over five years. The objective was to study the prevalence of dental caries and its predictors in five-year-old children and to assess children's own dental health habits and the meaning of family-related factors in dental health. The findings were based on questionnaire data from parents and on clinical dental examinations of the five-year-old children as completed by 101 public health dentists. In firstborn five-year-old children, dental health was found to be good in 72%, fair in 20%, and poor in 8% of the cases. The final multivariate analysis illustrated that the dmft index > 0 was independently associated with the mother's irregular toothbrushing (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.4-3.5), annual occurrence of several carious teeth in the father (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.9-3.6), daily sugar consumption at the age of 18 months (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.4-4.1), occurrence of child's headaches (OR 3.7; 95% CI 1.5-8.8), parents' cohabitation (OR 3.3; 95% CI 1.5-7.6), rural domicile (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.2-4.5), and mother's young age (OR 5.0; 95% CI 1.3-19.8). The findings

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indicated that attention should be paid not only to the child's dental health care but also to that of the whole family. Parents should be supported in their upbringing efforts and encouraged to improve their children's dental health habits. In everyday life, parents function as role models for their children, and therefore, parents' own dental hygiene habits are very meaningful.

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Infantile Spasms in One Member of a Family with Benign Familial Neonatal Convulsions Summary: Seven members of two generations experienced benign familial neonatal convulsions (BFNC) in the neonatal period and/or early infancy. All but 1 family member had a good prognosis. One family member with infantile spasms (IS) was delivered by cesarean section at 37 weeks gestation. Birth weight (2,562 g) was slightly lower than that of other family members. At age 20 days, adversive seizures started. At age 1 month, 10 days, she developed complex partial seizures (CPS) and IS. Interictal EEG showed hypsarrhythmia. Biochemical investigations and head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed no abnormalities. Treatment with valproate (VPA) and carbamazepine (CBZ) stopped the seizures, and she had no seizures after age 3 months. Psychomotor development was moderately delayed at 8 months. This is the first reported case of a severe epilepsy, IS, in association with BFNC.

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Holographic Feature Learning of Egocentric-Exocentric Videos for Multi-Domain Action Recognition Though existing cross-domain action recognition methods successfully improve the performance on videos of one view (e.g., egocentric videos) by transferring the knowledge from videos of another view (e.g., exocentric videos), they have limitations in generality because the source and target domains need to be fixed aforehand. In this paper, we propose to solve a more practical task of multi-domain action recognition on egocentric-exocentric videos, which aims to learn a single model to recognize test videos from either egocentric perspective or exocentric perspective by transferring knowledge between two domains. Though previous cross-domain methods can also transfer knowledge from one domain to another one by learning view-invariant representations of two video domains, they are not suitable for the multi-domain action recognition task because they always suffer from the problem of losing view-specific visual information. As a solution to the multi-domain action recognition task, we propose to map a video from either egocentric perspective or exocentric perspective to a global feature space (we call it holographic feature space) that shares both view-invariant and view-specific visual knowledge of two views. Specially, we decompose the video feature into view-invariant component and view-specific component, where view-specific component is written into memory networks for saving view-specific visual knowledge. The final holographic feature combines view-invariant feature and view-specific features of two views based on the memory networks. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method with extensive experimental results on two public datasets. Moreover, the good performances under the semi-supervised setting show the generality

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of our model.

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Fabrication and Characterization of Semi-Crystalline and Amorphous Dielectric Polymer Films for Energy Storage Dielectric polymer films are energy storage materials that are used in pulse power operations, power electronics and sustainable energy applications. This paper reviews energy storage devices with focus on dielectric film capacitors. Two prominent examples of polymer dielectrics Polyetherimide (PEI) and Poly (tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride) (THV) have been discussed. Polyetherimide (PEI) is an amorphous polymer recog-nized for its high-temperature capability, low dielectric loss and high dielectric strength. THV is a semi-crystalline polymer with high dielectric constant, high-temperature capability and charge-discharge efficiency. The primary focus of this paper is to introduce the reader to the fabrication procedures and characterization techniques used in research labs for processing of dielectric polymers. The fabrication and characterization process of both polymers has been discussed in detail to shed the light on experimental process in this area of research.

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Synthesis and Evaluation of the Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Some Novel Chloroquinoline Analogs Quinoline heterocycle is a useful scaffold to develop bioactive molecules used as anticancer, antimalaria, and antimicrobials. Inspired by their numerous biological activities, an attempt was made to synthesize a series of novel 7-chloroquinoline derivatives, including 2,7-dichloroquinoline-3-carbonitrile (5), 2,7-dichloroquinoline-3-carboxamide (6), 7-chloro-2-methoxyquinoline-3-carbaldehyde (7), 7-chloro-2-ethoxyquinoline-3-carbaldehyde (8), and 2-chloroquinoline-3-carbonitrile (12) by the application of Vilsmeier–Haack reaction and aromatic nucleophilic substitution of 2,7-dichloroquinoline-3-carbaldehyde. The carbaldehyde functional group was transformed into nitriles using POCl3 and NaN3, which was subsequently converted to amide using CH3CO2H and H2SO4. The compounds synthesized were screened for their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Compounds 6 and 8 showed good activity against E. coli with an inhibition zone of 11.00 ± 0.04 and 12.00 ± 0.00 mm, respectively. Compound 5 had good activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa with an inhibition zone of 11.00 ± 0.03 mm relative to standard amoxicillin (18 ± 0.00 mm). Compound 7 displayed good activity against S. pyogenes with an inhibition zone of 11.00 ± 0.02 mm. The radical scavenging activity of these compounds was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and compounds 5 and 6 displayed the strongest antioxidant activity with IC50 of 2.17 and 0.31 µg/mL relative to ascorbic acid (2.41 µg/mL), respectively. The molecular docking study of the synthesized compounds was conducted to investigate their binding pattern with topoisomerase IIβ and E. coli DNA gyrase B. Compounds 6 (−6.4 kcal/mol) and 8 (−6.6 kcal/mol) exhibited better binding affinity in their

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in silico molecular docking against E. coli DNA gyrase. The synthesized compounds were also found to have minimum binding energy ranging from −6.9 to −7.3 kcal/mol against topoisomerase IIβ. The SwissADME predicted results showed that the synthesized compounds 5–8 and 12 satisfy Lipinski’s rule of five with zero violations. The ProTox-II predicted organ toxicity results revealed that all the synthesized compounds were inactive in hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, mutagenicity, and cytotoxicity. The findings of the in vitro antibacterial and molecular docking analysis suggested that compound 8 might be considered a hit compound for further analysis as antibacterial and anticancer drug. The radical scavenging activity displayed by compounds 5 and 6 suggests these compounds as a radical scavenger.

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Isotopic Geochemistry of Cadmium: A Review Cadmium (Cd) is a scarce, but not an extremely rare element in the Earth's crust (crustal average: 0.2 ppm Cd). Geochemically, Cd exhibits thiophile, lithophile, and volatile behavior in different geologic processes. Biologically, it is a nutrient‐like element that is closely related to P and Zn and is toxic element to organisms. Presently, Cd isotopes have been successfully utilized to trace Cd sources and nutrient cycling in marine systems in addition to unearthing other geochemical processes. Using published studies and our recent work, this survey summarizes the chemical preparation and mass spectrometry of Cd isotopes. It also reviews Cd isotopic compositions and fractionation mechanisms in nature as well as experiments.

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Charge Asymmetry Measurement in CDF Run 2 We present the status of the forward-backward charge asymmetry measurement for W boson production using early Run 2 data collected with the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). Tracking for forward electrons is a critical component of this measurement, and we describe a new technique which combines the position and energy measurements from the calorimeter with position measurements in the silicon detector to provide tracking and charge determination for electron candidates. The performance of this algorithm is described and the sensitivity for the W charge asymmetry measurement with Run 2 data is quantified.

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Elastic Modulus Maturation Effect on Shrinkage Stress in a Primary Molar Restored with Tooth-Colored Materials. Purpose: Polymerization shrinkage stress is determined by shrinkage as well as elastic modulus. Elastic modulus develops during polymerization. This study evaluated how elastic modulus affects shrinkage stresses in a primary molar for three types of restorative materials. Methods: Elastic modulus of resin composite, compomers, and resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI) were determined using four-point bending of rectangular beams at 10 minutes, 24 hours, and after one to four weeks storage in water (n equals 10). Results were analyzed using twoway analysis of variance and pairwise comparisons (α equals 0.05). The elastic moduli were used with published shrinkage data to calculate stresses at the tooth-restoration interface in finite element models of a cross-sectioned restored primary molar. Results: The elastic modulus ranged between 5.6 to 19.9 gigapascal. Elastic modulus values were lowest at 10 minutes, regardless of material, and increased significantly (43 to 95 percent) in 24 hours; RMGI continued to increase (64 percent) for one week. Shrinkage stresses increased nonproportionally (resin composite 31 percent, compomer 35 percent, RMGI 52 percent) with increasing elastic modulus for sustained volumetric shrinkage. Conclusions: Elastic modulus development is material dependent and an important factor in polymerization shrinkage stress. Maturation of restorative materials can cause long-lasting stress increases if shrinkage is not alleviated by hygroscopic expansion.

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Neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy (CT) for triple-negative locally advanced breast cancer (LABC): Retrospective analysis of 125 patients. 625 Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), defined by lack of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, accounts for 15-20% of all breast cancers and is associated with poor prognosis. There is no consensus regarding optimal CT for treatment of such patients. Preclinical data suggests TNBC may be sensitive to platinums because of deficiencies in BRCA-associated DNA repair. The aim of this study was to evaluate pathologic complete response (pCR) and overall survival (OS) in patients with TNBC treated with neoadjuvant platinum-based CT. METHODS We identified 674 patients with LABC who received neoadjuvant CT between January 1999 and June 2008 at University of Miami. Of these, 125 (18.5%) had histopathologic confirmation of TNBC. All patients received neoadjuvant platinum salts + docetaxel. 76 (61%) also received neoadjuvant AC, while 42 (34%) received adjuvant AC. pCR was defined as no residual invasive disease in breast and axilla. OS was calculated according to Kaplan-Meier. RESULTS Demographics: median age 50 (28-86 years). 60% premenopausal. TNM stage distribution: T1 0.9%, T2 5.2%, T3 53.4%, T4 40.5%, N0 25.0%, N1 36.2%, N2 35.4%, N3 3.4%, M0 100%, inflammatory 11%, median tumor size = 9.5 cm. Follow up duration ranged from 0.3 to 8.9 years. pCR was observed in 42 of 125 patients (34%; 95% CI 26-43%). Among patients receiving neoadjuvant AC, 30 of 76 (40%; 95% CI 28-51%) had pCR, while amongst those receiving adjuvant AC, 12 of 42 (29%, 95% CI

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16-45%) had pCR at the time of definitive surgery. Patients achieving pCR had significantly higher OS (5-yr rate = 73% in pCR, vs. 49% in non-pCR; p < 0.001). OS in TNBC patients receiving cisplatin/docetaxel was significantly superior to those receiving carboplatin/docetaxel (11 mortality events out of 78 patients receiving cisplatin based CT vs 24 out of 47 receiving carboplatin based CT logrank p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS To date, this is the largest single institution cohort of locally advanced TNBC uniformly treated with platinum+docetaxel-based CT regimens. Platinum/docetaxel-based neoadjuvant CT provided high rates of pCR and excellent OS for women with locally advanced TNBC. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

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QoS guarantees and performance analysis in mobile wireless ATM networks Current research in wireless ATM networks focuses on its design, its protocol stack, data link layers, and issues related to mobility management functions but QoS guarantees during handoff has received limited attention. We present a new framework in this paper to allocate resources to both new calls and handoff calls based on the resource availability at the intermediate nodes also. The criterion for determining a route for a call is based on a combination of the resource availability at the links and the QoS requirements. We propose an algorithm that assigns the resources to the links proportional to the resource availability so as to reduce congestion on the heavily used links, and thereby reducing the chance of call failure and handoff failure. Another contribution in this paper is the performance analysis of wireless ATM network. The effects of different mobility parameters, blocking probability and handoff failure are examined for homogeneous traffic condition. We also present results about delay under heterogeneous traffic conditions.

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PDE4D gene in the STRK1 region on 5q12: susceptibility gene for ischemic stroke. Stroke is thought to be a multifactorial disease that is affected by several environmental factors and genetic variants. In 2002, a candidate locus for stroke (STRK1) was identified with a significant logarithm of odds (LOD) score at 5q12 in Caucasians, and in 2003, the PDE4D gene was subsequently identified as a susceptibility gene at this locus. Some investigators have recently examined whether polymorphisms in the PDE4D gene are associated with stroke in population studies. Some of these studies have reported the polymorphisms to be associated with a risk of stroke, while others have reported the exact opposite. These discrepancies have been attributed to racial differences or differences in methodologies and analyses. In 2006, a powerful method for isolating the susceptibility region at 5q12 was reported in a haplotype-based case-control study. In the present paper, we review both current issues and progress in the isolation of susceptibility genes for ischemic stroke, with particular emphasis on the PDE4D gene in the STRK1 region of 5q12.

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The Culture of Growth and the Culture of Limits David Orr’s wise words give us a wonderful example of the ways and means a great leader causes change. Abraham Lincoln is a superb example because the magnitude of his issue was nation threatening and dramatic. Slavery was not just another issue that happened to cause a war, like the assassination in Sarajevo in 1914, but an institution that led to a moral paradigm change of gargantuan proportions. Orr articulates the qualities and moral vision of Lincoln that helped hold the nation together. I believe the issue of sustainability is best framed as a total change in all our habits, lifestyles, and values. Sustainability is slavery squared. It takes us back to the bedrock of our very way of life and of creating wealth, and it will require us to develop a whole new culture. As Orr points out, this will be no ordinary task. C.P. Snow (1993, cited in Sowell 2002) contrasted the differences between the world of science and the world of letters and went on to observe, “Between the two is a gulf of mutual incomprehension . . . sometimes hostility and dislike, but most of all lack of understanding.” This same two-culture metaphor is useful to spotlight what I consider a new chasm of “mutual incomprehension” inherent in the sustainability issue—the culture of growth and the culture of limits. Are resources finite or infinite? Can we solve the problems of growth with more growth? Will existing mechanisms and institutions (including capitalism) be sufficient

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and as successful for the next 200 years as they have been for the last 200 years? There is the culture of growth that denies limits and the culture of limits that seeks to adapt to those limits. Aldo Leopold (1949) saw a similar conflict in writing about his land ethic:

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A Model and Exploratory Field Study on Team Creativity Organizations increasingly rely on teams to solve problems creatively or design new products and services. Research to date has mostly focused on individual creativity, rather than team creativity. This paper introduces the Team Creativity Model (TCM) to understand the antecedents of team creativity. TCM posits that both individual creativity and shared mental models (SMMs) contribute to team creativity. SMMs act as a mediator between knowledge sharing and team creativity. Antecedents to individual creativity include an individual's propensity to be creative and individual knowledge. Individual knowledge also is an antecedent to knowledge sharing, as are an individual's propensity to share knowledge and trust within the team. In an exploratory study at a telecom company, a team of design experts participating in four creative sessions provided initial support for the TCM constructs and their relationships. The findings suggest that further exploratory and empirical research on TCM is justified. Some tentative implications for research and practice are presented.

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Decentralizing DNS : Peers , Infrastructure , and Internet Governance In late 2010, the WikiLeaks organization made thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables public. It subsequently lost its web hosting company and the wikileaks.org domain. A new wave of interest in creating a competing root-server, able to rival the one administered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), was prompted by well-known Internet “anarchist” Peter Sunde, best known as the co-founder of The Pirate Bay. An alternative Domain Name System (DNS) was envisaged as a decentralized, peerto-peer (P2P) system in which volunteer users would run a portion of the DNS on their own computers. Under this system, any domain made temporarily inaccessible would remain accessible on the alternative registry. Instead of adding a number of DNS options to those already accepted and administrated by ICANN (as OpenNic or NewNet had before), this radical move would supersede one of the main DNS governance institutions, favoring instead a distributed, user infrastructure-based model. Yet, what would it take to reinvent the Internet’s “phone book”? This article outlines the technical, social, and political implications of the “decentralized DNS” debates. Specifically, it highlights how they propose an alternative model of Internet governance, Francesca Musiani is a post-doctoral researcher at the Center for the Sociology of Innovation, MINES ParisTech. She was the 2012-13 Yahoo! Fellow in Residence at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, Washington, DC (where she has taught in the Master of Science in Foreign Service), and an affiliate of the Berkman Center

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for Internet and Society at Harvard University.

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The Choice of Finance Management Target of Morden Enterprise Concerning the business enterprise finance management target,have most the representative's a few standpoints are a profits to maximize,the each interest on shares is smooth to maximize,business enterprise the value maximize.This text manages the target to carry on to this a few finances more analytical,the aim is choose certain a kind of match our country the finance management environment of finance management target.

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Research on Image Matching Algorithm Based on Local Invariant Features As an important foundation for image-guided technology, image matching technique is the key technology of modern war. This paper proposes a new algorithm of affine invariant detector and descriptor of local invariant feature points, starting from feature point detection and description point of view, making up the traditional feature point extraction defects of small number and types. Meantime, proposes an improved similarity measure method based on the previously proposed new feature point detection and description algorithm, it improves the matching accuracy and real-time performance. Finally, compares the experiment results of SURF, SIFT and the improved algorithm proposed in this paper, the experimental results shows that the feature points extracted by the improved algorithm has fully affine invariance, and improved the accuracy and speed of image matching algorithm efficiently.

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A system dynamics model for managing service desk capacity Information technology (IT) services have become more complex and diversified. The service desk establishes a single channel of communication between the internal IT provider and its users, through which incidents and problems are analyzed, escalated and resolved. Managers need to analyze different operating scenarios regarding service desk capacity to make effective decisions about what should be improved to meet the business demands. This paper presents a system dynamics model for evaluating an organization's service desk's service capacity. The model allows the performance simulation of scenarios, estimating the service capacity. Preliminary results are promising and seem to contribute to the improvement of capacity management processes.

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Structural evolution of a two-component organogel. Dry reverse micelles of AOT in isooctane spontaneously undergo a microstructural transition to an organogel upon the addition of a phenolic dopant, p-chlorophenol. This microstructural evolution has been studied through a combination of light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), NMR, and rheology. Several equilibrium stages between the system of dry reverse micelles of AOT and a 1:1 AOT/p-chlorophenol (molar ratio) gel in isooctane have been examined. To achieve this, p-chlorophenol is added progressively to the dilute solutions of AOT in isooctane, and this concentration series is then analyzed. The dry micelles of AOT in isooctane do not undergo any detectable structural change up to a certain p-chlorophenol concentration. Upon a very small increment in the concentration of p-chlorophenol beyond this "threshold" concentration, large strandlike aggregates are observed which then evolve to the three-dimensional gel network.

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Roma (Gypsies) in the Soviet Union and the Moscow Teatr ‘Romen’ The Moscow Teatr “Romen,” dating back to 1931, is famous throughout the Soviet Union, and its performers have been some of the country's best-known. The Teatr “Romen” connects Roma from all over the country, and many who work there are related; three generations of a family may appear on the stage at one time. These families, along with Roma working as professionals, make up an lite within the Romani community in Moscow. They are the most outwardly assimilated (wearing European dress, etc.), most fluent and literate in Russian as well as Romani. These families usually move in different spheres than do Roma who live in villages around Moscow and work in cooperatives or as independent merchants, although extended family networks may include Roma of all spheres. Most studies of Gypsies (including those of non-Roma, such as Irish Travellers in the United Kingdom) assume a certain homogeneity of culture and of class: The refusal to acknowledge Gypsy upward mobility in the context of a dominant society has also prevented research of class difference within Gypsy groups and created a sense of marginalized homogeneity that does not reflect reality. The Teatr “Romen” is a case that demands such acknowledgment. Yet, in a sense, these élite performers are doubly marginal, both as performers and as ethnic outsiders who “threaten the rhetoric and narratives of nationalism.” Currently in the USSR, such narratives are in flux, as many national minorities demand greater cultural and political autonomy. Roma, however, are not

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demanding their own republic, and requests for schools and radio shows are often tempered by the assertion that, “this country has been kind to Gypsies.” Roma élites are also in a peculiar position: charged with representing Roma to outsiders, they are also concerned about maintaining the integrity of the urban community as Roma. Because of this, they must negotiate the interstitial area between cultures.

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Freestanding Flag-Type Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Harvesting High-Altitude Wind Energy from Arbitrary Directions. Wind energy at a high altitude is far more stable and stronger than that near the ground, but it is out of reach of the wind turbine. Herein, we develop an innovative freestanding woven triboelectric nanogenerator flag (WTENG-flag) that can harvest high-altitude wind energy from arbitrary directions. The wind-driven fluttering of the woven unit leads to the current generation by a coupled effect of contact electrification and electrostatic induction. Systematic study is conducted to optimize the structure/material parameters of the WTENG-flag to improve the power output. This 2D WTENG-flag can also be stacked in parallel connections in many layers for a linearly increased output. Finally, a self-powered high-altitude platform with temperature/humidity sensing/telecommunicating capability is demonstrated with the WTENG-flag as a power source. Due to the light weight, low cost, and easy scale-up, this WTENG-flag has great potential for applications in weather/environmental sensing/monitoring systems.

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Application of Hot Gas Powder Sintering in Robotics The work describes the application of hot gas powder sintering using robotic positioning system with special equipment, designed for this new way of manufacturing technology. Material used for this type of sintering is recycled dust portion of PET plastics, which proposes potential possibility of costs reduction for this kind of production technology, which is focused on the use unusable materials. This opens new potential trends in robotics application, even in a new technology, suitable for rapid prototyping in mechanical engineering. It is sintering of the plastics powder using hot gas, usually nitrogen or any inert gas, to propose the best material structure without any deformation.

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Cost Benefit Analysis of Neurostimulation for Chronic Pain Objectives:To assess the healthcare utilization of patients with intractable chronic neuropathic pain treated with spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation and to provide a cost-benefit analysis. Methods:The case records of 222 consecutive patients who received spinal cord stimulation or peripheral nerve stimulation implants at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation between 1990 and 1998 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were asked to complete a Neurostimulation Outcome Questionnaire designed to gather data on utilization of healthcare resources starting 1 year before surgical implantation. These data were pooled and net differences in events per patient per year, before and after device implantation were calculated and modeled to 2000 cost data obtained from the Medicare Fee Schedule and Healthcare Financing Administration. Results:Neurostimulation Outcome Questionnaires were returned by 128 patients. The mean patient age was 46 ± 12.5 years (range 21–71 years) and the mean implant duration was 3.1 ± 2.3 years (range 0.5–8.9 years). The mean per patient total reimbursement of spinal cord stimulation/peripheral nerve stimulation absent pharmacotherapy was $38,187. Patients treated with spinal cord stimulation/peripheral nerve stimulation for pain management achieved reductions in physician office visits, nerve blocks, radiologic imaging, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and surgical procedures, which translated into a net annual savings of approximately $30,221 and a savings of $93,685 over the 3.1-year implant duration. The large reduction in healthcare utilization following spinal cord stimulation/peripheral nerve stimulation implantation resulted in a net per patient per year cost savings of approximately $17,903. Discussion:The reduced demand for healthcare resources by patients receiving

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neurostimulation suggests that peripheral nerve stimulation and spinal cord stimulation treatment, although associated with relatively high initial costs, demonstrates substantial long-term economic benefits. Thus, neurostimulation should be considered as a viable option for the early treatment of patients with intractable chronic neuropathic pain.

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Vitronectin and Its Receptors Partly Mediate Adhesion of Ovarian Cancer Cells to Peritoneal Mesothelium in vitro Epithelial ovarian cancer cells metastasize by implanting onto the peritoneal mesothelial surface of the abdominal cavity. Adhesive molecules that lead to this implantation remain unclear. The aim of our study was to focus on the role of vitronectin (Vn) and its receptors, αv integrins and urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), in the interactions of ovarian adenocarcinoma cells (IGROV1 and SKOV3 cell lines) with mesothelial cells (MeT-5A cell line and primary cultures). For all cell lines, immunofluorescence staining disclosed the presence of Vn over the whole cell surface and in thin continuous deposits underlining the cell periphery. Recruitment of Vn receptors to cell-cell contact sites was also revealed. We developed two distinct methods for the evaluation of in vitro cell-cell adhesion using cocultures of the tumor and mesothelial cells. Both adhesion assays revealed a strong ability of ovarian cancer cells to adhere preferentially to mesothelial intercellular junctions. Adhesion of ovarian carcinoma cells to mesothelial cells was significantly inhibited using anti-Vn-, -αv-integrin- and -uPAR-blocking antibodies or cyclic peptide cRGDfV. These results evidence the ability of ovarian carcinoma cells to bind to peritoneal mesothelium in vitroand strongly suggest that Vn and its receptors contribute to this crucial event.

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Supply chain management for fast-moving products in the electronic industry The objective of this Thesis was to strategically redesign and transform the supply chain of a series of detonators in a leading Company serving the oil and gas industry. The scope of the Thesis included data gathering and analysis, and the proposal and implementation of possible solutions. The issues addressed included sourcing and partnership strategies and development of systemic inventory management policies. We optimized the inventory policies to minimize the ordering and holding costs while improving the customer service level. For this purpose, we considered the entire supply chain starting from the Company's internal and external suppliers and Subcontractors all the way to the end-customers. By considering all these players we were able to globally optimize the supply chain. The inventory policy used was a periodic review policy for which we optimized the reorder, order-up-to level and Safety Stock levels. We analyzed the effects of the forecasting error and the potential benefits of risk pooling. We also identified and recommended a new push-pull boundary for the Company's detonator products and provided a generic platform to identify this boundary for other products within the Company. The supply chain management system and managerial insights developed from this project can potentially be extended to other products and divisions within the Company. Thesis Supervisor: David Simchi-Levi, Ph.D. Title: Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Systems Co-director, LFM and SDM Programs

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Letter to the Editor: Risk factors for falls in stroke patients during inpatient rehabilitation I read with interest the recent article published in Clinical Rehabilitation February 2009 titled ‘Risk factors for falls in stroke patients during inpatient rehabilitation’. We recently published a similar article in the journal Rehabilitation Nursing May/June 2008 titled ‘An analysis of falls occurring in patients with stroke on an acute rehabilitation unit’. Our analysis came to some of the same conclusions. We studied 754 acute stroke patients for 24 months of which 117 fell (15.5%), with a falls index rate of 8.2. No injury was observed in 143 of the 159 fall cases (90%). 50% of the falls occurred during the first week of the patient’s stay, and almost all occurred in the patient’s own room. Fallers were more cognitively impaired and had moderate walking ability (not totally paralysed) and this risk increased during rehabilitation as they gained more motor return. Several questions arise about this study. First, their fall percentage was similar to our study 15.5% vs. 16.3% and also the falls index rate 8.2 vs. 7.6 (compared with the usually quoted figure of 25% to 39% in an acute rehabilitation setting without falls prevention strategies). We achieved this low rate by introducing falls prevention strategies. How were these low rates achieved in this study? Second, it has been difficult to gauge stroke severity based solely on the functional Barthel ADL Index. One could appreciate the degree of stroke severity better by using motor impairment scales. The authors evaluated language (aphasia)

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and visuo-spatial neglect, yet there was no mention of other cognitive domains such as attention, memory and judgement that could be responsible for falls. Third, in the discussion of this paper the authors comment that patients who perform poorly on activities of daily living are at an increased falls risk, yet in the same breath they comment that these patients are likely to make ‘good functional recovery’. How is that reconcilable? Fourth, the authors state that measures of ADL are better in informing the risk of falls than impairment measures. The authors have not provided us with this information about their study. How do they arrive at this conclusion? Finally, it would have been helpful to see the discharge disposition of the fallers after they completed their inpatient rehabilitation. It would enable the reader to understand the clinical significance of their study.

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Research on index weight of logistics integration based on cloud models Accurate evaluation on development of logistics integration is conducive to the coordinated development in Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei region. Results of the index weight setting directly influence the accuracy of the evaluation results. Weight is cognition and evaluation of objective things made by human based on aspect of important degree of objective things. People's subjective initiative in setting index weight, in a sense, leads to the natural language having obvious fuzziness and randomness, uncertainty. In this paper, based on the research of weight setting in China and abroad, the weight system is designed qualitatively and quantitatively by using the cloud models so that the weight results are close to human cognition and easy to understand and accept.

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Juan De Bolas And His Pelinco There is a prevailing notion, initiated perhaps by Edward Long, that the sources for the history of Jamaica during the 1 7th and 1 8th centuries are very thin, One hears it said for instance, that a good deal of licence is possible in writing about Juan de Bolas 'since we really know so little about him', The aim of this article is to demonstrate the falsehood of this belief, at least in this particular case, and to set out the facts of Juan de Bolas' life as we at present know them. 1 . Pelinco at Murmuring Brook (a) 11th Article of Capitulation 'That all the slaves, Negroes and others ordered by their masters to appear on the 26th of this month before His Excellency in the Savanna near this town to hear and understand the favours and acts of grace that will be told them concerning their freedom' translation by J. L. Pietersz, The Jamaican Historical Review, I (1945) (b) Ysassi to the king of Spain, 16 August 1658 'I have not done a small thing in conserving [the fugitive Negroes], keeping them under my obethence when they have been sought after with papers from the enemy. I have promised their Chiefs freedom in Your Majesty's name but have not given it until I receive an order for it' (F. Cundall and J. L. Pietersz, Jamaica under the Spaniards, Kingston 1919, p. 81). On May 10th, 1655,1 the English began landing a force of about 7,000 men at

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called Passage Fort The Spaniards could muster less than 200 ill- armed militiamen to resist them, and by May 17th were consequently obliged to agree to the surrender-terms one of which is set out in (a) above. We have, of course, no means of knowing if Venables intended to grant 'favours and acts of grace' to those whom the Spaniards had enslaved. In any case, most of them very soon freed themselves, retreating to the woods from where they began to wage guerilla warfare on the English invaders. Christob al de Ysassi, who emerged as the leader of the Spanish resistance claimed that he collected these 'fugitive Negroes' and settled them under their own leaders at three places in the interior. We cannot tell how important Ysassi' s role really was in the emergence of these settlements, or how closely he was able to control them. However. It looks as though he at least maintained contact with them, and as he claims in (b) succeeded for some years in persuading them not to make peace with the English. One of the three settlements was in the hills above Guanaboa Vale, and its leader was Juan Lubolo. The precise site of his pelinco has now been lost, but it seems very likely that it was just to the south of Murmuring Brook, in the district now called Juan de Bolas.4 Here the guerillas, who eventually numbered about 180,5 built up a thriving settlement, constructing a town and planting about 200 acres of provisions.6 This food probably played

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an important part in supplying parties moving through Murmuring Brook in order to strike at the English outposts. In the first months after the English invasion, Lubolo' s men were probably active on the plain below, picking off stragglers from the invading army. However, once Edward D'Oyley had begun to organize the English more effectively, such random actions be came fewer; after that it was chiefly the raiding-parties organized by Ysassi which earned the war on. We have accounts of these operations from both sides, and they do not suggest that Lubolo and his pelinco were very active in this phase of the struggle. 2. Discovery and surrender (a) from D'Oyley' s journal 'Order issued to Mr. Peter Pugh to pay Lt. Carman as a reward out of the impost money for taking two Negroes, twenty pounds sterling, dated 16th January 1660' (British Library, Additional Manuscripts 12423, fo. 83r°). (b) Colonel Edward Tyson to the Admiralty, 1 February 1660 '[I] have had the good success of finding out where the Negroes have lurked these four years undiscovered, who have built a town and planted about 200 acres of provisions; [I am] now in parley with them and doubt not a good issue' Calendar of State Papers, America and West Indies, 1675-1676, No. …

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Effects of antioxidant supplements consumed at night on endothelial function in healthy volunteers The endothelium is an active tissue; it performs many anti-atherogenic functions and its functional efficacy is an important factor in CVD risk. Epidemiological data suggest that there is a peak incidence of cardiovascular events during the early morning (1) . The existence of a 24 h circadian rhythm in endothelial function, which is attenuated in the early morning, is one potential factor for this peak in incidence (2) . Recently, dietary intake and nutritional supplementation have been shown to have effects on endothelial function. The aim of the present project was to investigate the effect of 6 weeks of antioxidant supplements taken at night, in the form of multivitamin and mineral tablets, on morning endothelial function. It is hypothesised that night-time antioxidant supplementation will improve early-morning endothelial function. A range of nutrition supplements widely available in health food shops were assessed for antioxidant capacity before the start of the study. Seven healthy volunteers were recruited (two males and five females; mean age 24.1 (SE 7); BMI 21.6 (SE 1.8) kg/m 2 ; non-smokers; free from prescribed medication and nutritional supplements). They were instructed to consume an ABC plus multivitamin and multimineral formula tablet (Holland and Barrett, Nuneaton, War., UK), antioxidant level 250 mmol Trolox per tablet, at 21.00 hours every evening. One subject was excluded on the basis of measurement precision. Endothelial function was assessed by measuring flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery using an ultrasound technique. Resting arterial diameter (AD) was

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measured at baseline and post treatment to ensure measurement occurred in the same position on the brachial artery. FMD, blood glucose, NEFA and TAG were assessed at pretreatment and after 6 weeks of supplementation. The Table shows baseline AD and percentage FMD pre- and post supplementation. Mean percentage FMD increased by 44 % from pretreatment (5.39 (SE 0.61)) to week 6 (7.78 (SE 2.15)) but the increase was not significant (P = 0.25). Resting AD pre- and post treatment were similar (3.42 (SE 0.11) v. 3.43 (SE 2.15); NS). No significant changes in plasma glucose, TAG or NEFA levels were observed over 6 weeks.

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The joint effects of personality and job scope on in-role performance, citizenship behaviors, and creativity This study examined the relation between personality and three dimensions of job performance (in-role performance, creativity, and citizenship behavior) under differing levels of job scope. The basic premise was that higher job scope would facilitate performance for those who were dispositionally inclined toward a particular dimension of performance and damage the performance of those who were dispositionally disinclined. Among 383 work-unit dyads in 11 organizations, some support was found for the predicted interactions between Big Five personality traits and job scope in predicting various aspects of performance.

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Gradient Decoding Revisited Modern coding applications, including dirty paper coding and information hiding, hinge critically on a classical 'general decoding problem,' known to be NP hard. Various attempts to find good solutions at reasonable complexity can be traced throughout the decades, most recently with attempts to achieve the rate-distortion bound in code word quantization. Here we take a step back to examine two computationally simple procedures in this direction: gradient decoding and a simple yet surprisingly effective variant on belief propagation that we dub truthiness propagation.

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Glucosylation Mediated Rolling Circle Amplification Combined with a qPCR Assay for the Detection of 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine. The detection of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), a newly recognized epigenetic mark, is essential to its functional study. Here, an efficient and simple two-step-amplification method to detect 5hmC mediated by glucosylation is reported, which combines rolling circle amplification (RCA) and a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In the first step RCA, the glucosylated 5hmC (5ghmC), but not 5hmC, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) or cytosine (C) bases, could directly and specifically inhibit the activity of phi29 DNA polymerase, resulting in less RCA product compared to that using C-/5mC-/5hmC-containing templates. Then, the second step qPCR is adopted to test and verify the difference of the product quantity of 5ghmC-related RCA. The results show that the delta cycle threshold, ΔCt, obtained by subtracting the cycle threshold value (Ct) of C-related qPCR from that of each qPCR, of 5ghmC-related qPCR reaches 1.59 ± 0.03, significantly different from that of C-/5mC-/5hmC-related qPCR (-0.00 ± 0.09, 0.06 ± 0.08 and -0.02 ± 0.03, respectively). Meanwhile, a linear relationship is observed between the 5ghmC levels and the ΔCt values. This suggests that the strategy has a potential application for 5hmC detection and quantification.

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Optimization of the mouse ear swelling test for in vivo and in vitro studies of weak contact sensitizers * Murine models for the assessment of the contact sensitizing properties of chemicals rely on mouse ear swelling tests (Mest), which are not sensitive enough to detect weak sensitizers. The aim of the present study was to develop in mice an adjuvant‐free Mest appropriate for in vivo detection of any type of sensitizer (weak to strong), and useful for in vitro assessment of contact sensitivity (CS). 3 haptens were tested: dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), para‐phenylenediamine (pPD) and isoeugenol. We compared various protocols for induction of the CS reaction, differing by the site of induction, the number of applications and the concentrations of the 3 haptens. Comparison of the induction site for optimal CS reaction showed that, in Balb/c mice, the back was a better site of induction than the abdomen. Detection of the sensitizing properties of weak sensitizers (pPD, isoeugenol) was possible using an adjuvant‐free protocol, provided that the induction phase comprised hapten applications on 3 consecutive days on the backs of animals. For DNCB, one application was sufficient to obtain optimal CS reaction. For all 3 haptens, a secondary response in vitro was obtained using semi‐purified lymph node T cells from animals sensitized 5 days before with the optimized Mest. These results demonstrate that the Mest could be a useful experimental model for the study of all types of contact sensitizers.

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Evaluation of persistence of terbinafine in the hair of normal cats after 14 days of daily therapy. This study determined the residual concentration of terbinafine in cat hair after 14 days of oral treatment. Ten clinically normal cats were administered terbinafine orally at a daily dose of 34-45.7 mg kg(-1) for a total of 14 days. Areas of 15 cm(2) were shaved on the lateral thorax at day 0 and weekly for 8 weeks after the last dose of terbinafine. The hair samples were analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography to determine the persistence of terbinafine over time. The mean terbinafine concentration in hair was 2.30 ng mg(-1) after 14 days of therapy. The half life was 1.84 weeks after the last dose of terbinafine. With a 99% confidence interval, the concentration of terbinafine remained in the cat hair at or above 0.03 ng mg(-1) (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)(90) = 0.03 microg mL(-1)) for 5.3 weeks. Slight deviations in the complete blood cell count and serum chemistry values were not attributed to terbinafine. Four cats experienced vomiting during the terbinafine treatment; two of these cats also experienced intense facial pruritus followed by a macular to papular skin reaction 7-14 days after the discontinuation of terbinafine. In summary, terbinafine persists in hair at concentrations above the MIC for several weeks after stopping medication, even after short-term therapy (14 days). These results suggest that pulse therapy of terbinafine should be further researched and potentially considered as a treatment modality for feline dermatophytosis, an approach that would decrease treatment duration

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while maintaining effectiveness.

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Symbol Synchronization Capture Method on SFH-GMSK - PART II: The Capture Method this paper applies the theoretical analysis result about the SFH-GMSK signal in the Part I companion paper that the differential demodulation GMSK signals and their phases both are periodic, and the period is integer multiple of symbol interval Tb during switching-frequency protecting code. Based on these, this paper as the Part II companion paper puts forward one symbol synchronization capture method based on SNR using the switching-frequency protecting code, and the capture time and probability of it are also particularly analyzed in this paper. The analysis indicates that this capture method is not only simple and convenient for digital realization, but also is rapid and effective. So the SFH communication can be established effectively

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A Rough Road Map to Reflexivity in Qualitative Research into Emotions In qualitative research into emotions, researchers and participants share emotion-laden interactions. Few demonstrate how the analytic value of emotions may be harnessed. In this article we provide an account of our emotional experiences conducting research with two groups: adults living with cystic fibrosis and spouse caregivers of cancer patients. We describe our emotion work during research interviews, and discuss its methodological and theoretical implications. Reflections depict competing emotion norms in qualitative research. Experiences of vulnerability and involuntary “emotional callusing” illustrate the insight into participants’ experiences afforded to us through emotion work. This prompted us to extend Hochschild’s theory to incorporate unconscious activity mediated through habitus, allowing us to demonstrate how the “emotional” nature of emotions research can galvanize analytic insight.

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Advances in Applications of Polymer Nanocomposites Department of Chemistry, University of Calicut, Kerala 673635, India Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Taibah University, Yanbu Albahr 41911, Saudi Arabia Global Frontier R&D Center for Hybrid Interface Materials, Pusan National University, Busan 609735, Republic of Korea School of Physical Sciences, SRTM University, Nanded 431-606, India Department of Chemistry, UAE University, Al Ain, UAE Advanced Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune-07, India

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SMART COMPANIES: How to reach sustainability during a digital transformation These are difficult times! Almost every industry is facing a real risk of disruption from cutting-edge technologies in the digital world. This reality drives companies to change and adapt their business models to remain competitive. They must succeed in transforming their business through technology, or they'll face destruction at the hands of their rivals that do. Furthermore, the search for sustainability continues to be one of the main matters that companies are investing in. This paper is an attempt to discuss how to seize the opportunity of digital transformations in order to reach sustainability. It starts by defining the concepts of digital transformation and sustainability. After, it answers, through real world examples, how companies, during a digital transformation, could increase profitability and their social footprint while reducing their impacts on environment. The paper discuss after, a survey, in the Moroccan context, of the relationship between digital transformation and sustainability among 15 companies (from 40 companies contacted) from different sectors. It also explains the Moroccan actual context using a game theory approach.

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Of birds and nests and brain emboli. Technological methods for diagnosing brain embolism have improved. Both donor sources and recipient sites are now more readily documented. Embolism is a dynamic process. Thrombi develop and change in their cardiac or arterial 'nests', discharge into the vascular system, lodge in brain or systemic arteries, and often break up and move on. Traditionally, clinicians have sought to distinguish a cardiac from intraarterial source in order to prescribe warfarin for cardiac origin embolism. Most often surgery or aspirin is given for intraarterial embolism. Yet substances that embolize from either site are diverse. Might identification of the embolic material ("birds") be a more rational guide to treatment than simply the locations of the "nests"?

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Increased cerebral blood flow in idiopathic pseudotumour cerebri. Cerebral blood flow was studied in nine patients with idiopathic pseudotumour and one patient with cortical vein thrombosis in Denver, Colorado using the 133Xe inhalation method. Globally elevated blood flows were found in all of the idiopathic pseudotumour patients averaging 149% of control values generated in the same setting. The patient with the cortical vein thrombosis demonstrated normal global flows. Possible pathophysiological mechanisms for these findings are discussed.

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Decision-making in formation of mean-VaR optimal portfolio by selecting stocks using K-means and average linkage clustering Stock is one of the investment assets that has its charm for investors. It is very liquid and has a high rate of return, but it has a high risk. The strategy commonly used to minimize investment risk is to diversify through portfolio formation. A good allocation of funds must be determined in forming an optimal portfolio. In addition, the method of stock selection needs to be considered so the stocks are well diversified and the portfolio developed has good performance. This study aims to compare stock selection between K-Means and Average Linkage clustering approaches in forming an investment portfolio. Clustering analysis is used to group IDX80 stocks based on their attributes. In forming a portfolio with the Mean-VaR model, the stock selection decision criteria used are by selecting stocks with the highest positive returns from each cluster. As a result, the two clustering techniques show the superiority of the Silhouette score for a certain number of clusters, but there are still more advantages in Average Linkage. The portfolio approached by Average Linkage resulted in a better performance than the portfolio approached by K-Means. Therefore, Average Linkage clustering can be used as a better recommendation in decision-making to select stocks so as to produce optimal portfolio performance.

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Semantically annotating research articles for interdisciplinary design Biologically inspired design is an important emerging movement in engineering design. Finding relevant biological sources of inspiration from existing biology literature is one of the important challenges of this activity. We conjecture that annotating biology articles with lightweight Structure-Behavior-Function (SBF) models is one way to address this challenge. We present Biologue, a social citation cataloging system that allows its users to gather, organize, share, and most importantly, annotate scholarly articles with SBF models. This feature not only allows the implementation of search mechanism that is more targeted to the needs of designers seeking bio-inspiration, but also helps designers make sense of the articles returned by the search mechanism.

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The protective effect of gamma-hydroxybutyrate in regional intestinal ischemia in the hamster. The purpose of this study was to determine whether gamma-hydroxybutyrate provides protection against intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury and to compare its effect with that of allopurinol and vitamin E. Thirty minutes of total regional ischemia, followed by 3 hours of reperfusion, produced intestinal damage that was completely prevented by gamma-hydroxybutyrate pretreatment. Naloxone partially blocked this protective effect. Allopurinol provided only partial protection against this injury, whereas vitamin E provided none. Treatment with gamma-hydroxybutyrate after ischemia but before reperfusion also provided significant protection. This study clearly demonstrates that gamma-hydroxybutyrate provides significant protection against intestinal ischemic injury and that it may do so via an opiate receptor-mediated mechanism.

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F3 layer development during quiet and disturbed periods as observed at conjugate locations in Brazil: The role of the meridional wind In this work we use ionospheric data from two low‐latitude stations located north and south of the geomagnetic equator, at approximately the same magnetic longitude, in order to study the occurrence of the F3 layer. The location of the stations being at almost geomagnetically conjugate points is such that the effects of the electric field/vertical plasma drift and diffusion will be almost symmetric around the magnetic equator. Under this configuration it is possible to deduce the effect of meridional wind in the F3 layer occurrence. Our results show that during the December solstice the layer will be present at the Southern Hemisphere (SH) location in 97% of the days and in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) location in only 4% of the days. In the June solstice the situation is reversed with the occurrence in the NH being 82% and 16% in the SH. For the March equinox the occurrence is low at both locations (4% in NH and 7% in SH), being mainly present during magnetically disturbed periods. The analysis of the effective meridional wind based on the Horizontal Wind Model and on the asymmetry of the F layer peak height observed at the two locations confirms the ubiquitous role of the wind in the F3 layer formation and/or persistence during both quiet and disturbed periods. The B0 parameter, that is a measure of the thickness of the bottomside F region profile, revealed to be

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a good proxy for the F3 layer occurrence.

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Single element 3-terminal pressure sensors: A new approach to pressure sensing and its comparison to the half bridge sensors We report the development of a novel 3-terminal single element piezoresistor for ultra-miniature pressure sensor applications and compare its performance to that of a traditional half Wheatstone bridge design. The pressure sensors reported here are 0.69-French in size (1F= 333µm) and are designed and batch-fabricated using SOI (silicon on insulator) and DRIE (deep reactive ion etching) technologies. One of the major applications of this device is for blood pressure monitoring using ultra-miniature 1F catheters. The combination of SOI and DRIE technologies results in uniform diaphragm thickness and complete elimination of the post-processing dicing step by micromachining “die separation streets” during the DRIE process. The novel 3-terminal single element design and half Wheatstone bridge sensors were optimized using finite element analysis (FEA). Performance characteristics of the half bridge and 3-terminal sensors, i.e. sensitivity, nonlinearity (NL%), temperature coefficient offset (TCO) and drift were measured and compared. It was determined that the 3-terminal pressure sensors (3-TPS) had greater sensitivity, better non-linearity and lower drift compared to half bridge design sensors. The 3-TPS devices were also less sensitive to alignment errors.

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DC Electric Arc Furnace Modelling for Power Quality Indices Assessment The operation of an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) determines power quality disturbances in terms of voltage fluctuations and waveform distortions, due to the particular nature of the heating process and of the electric arc phenomenon. The analysis of DC EAFs and their induced power quality disturbances may be conveniently posed within a chaotic modeling framework. This paper presents a procedure for tuning the parameters of a chaotic model for the DC electrical arc. The procedure is based on a Simulink representation of the DC EAF installation and on the Chua’s model to represent the arc chaotic behaviour. The parameters of the Chua’s model are iteratively tested and optimized to minimize the errors in the evaluation of the spectral content of current waveforms at the point of common coupling. Data measured at the point of common coupling of an actual DC EAF are considered to carry out numerical simulations aimed at verifying the effectiveness of the proposed tuning procedure.

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Review: Rapid-acting analogues do not differ from regular human insulin for mortality or HbA1c in type 2 diabetes Question In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, what are the efficacy and safety of rapid-acting insulin analogues compared with regular human insulin (RHI)? Review scope Included studies compared rapid-acting insulin analogues (insulin lispro, insulin aspart, insulin glulisine, or biosimilars) with RHI in adults 18 years of age who had type 2 diabetes. Studies were excluded if insulin was not administered subcutaneously via syringe, pen, or pump; treatment duration was <24 weeks; or pregnant women were included. Outcomes included mortality, macrovascular and microvascular complications, severe hypoglycemic episodes, glycemic control (hemoglobin [Hb] A1c), and nonsevere hypoglycemic episodes. Review methods EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (Oct 2017); MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (Oct 2018); and reference lists, abstracts from major diabetology meetings, and pharmaceutical companies' trial registers were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The 3 main pharmaceutical companies producing rapid-acting insulin analogues, experts, and approval agencies were consulted. 10 RCTs (n =2751, mean age 57 y, 55% men when reported), ranging in size from 12 to 892 patients, met the selection criteria. Trial duration ranged from {24}* to 104 weeks (mean 41 wk). 5 trials had adequate random sequence generation, and 5 adequately reported allocation concealment. All trials were open-label, with no blinding of patients or investigators. 8 trials were at least partially commercially funded, and 2 did not report funding. Main results The results of meta-analyses for mortality, glycemic control, and

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